Yesterday I had planned to practice guitar at some point before the sun would set. Yet for some reason, the day just slipped away from me.
I didn't even have any plans with other people other than a ball-throwing session with Teddy.
I did manage to drive to a music store 45 minutes away though and look at new guitars which was the bulk of the afternoon. Stop off for some green leaf lettuce and salsa on the way home.
So at 7pm after dinner, it's finally time to practice.
You Won’t Believe What Happened
Within 20 minutes I have cracked open some great progress. And after the 40 minute mark I have done enough great work to say that I don't have to keep playing anymore.
So there you have it: 12 hours of agony, a slight knocking at the door or the drip of water torture as I go about my day hiding from this plan. And in just 40 minutes the problem is solved.
I am convinced that taking music lessons, or any type of enrollment that requires you to practice before a test such as languages is the best thing you can do for yourself.
We don't have a lot of opportunities like this as adults since you're not forced into school with gross and annoying people like kids are.
But there are plenty of opportunities out there to find instructors and courses in your chosen field.
And yes, just like working out, the answer is to hit the practice/study as early in the day as possible. Get the 20, 40 or 60 minutes out of the way so that you can go to random places in the day and actually enjoy yourself.
Is this personal growth or just plain torture? You'll have to try it for yourself to decide.
Three Ideas from My Notebooks
Try the Most Minimal Weekly Review. On Friday, write down what you remember happening this week and what the lessons you learned from those things are.
Be willing to make an ass of yourself every day. Look for opportunities to be exposed as the fraud that you are. They’re all going to laugh at you, and once you get overall yourself you’ll be able to laugh along with them.
Never waste a morning. That doesn’t mean you have to be at your computer hustling after you wake up. It means you give yourself the gift of time by waking up as early as you can before the world starts knocking at your door.
All of the ideas going back to May 2023 are now located in The Ideas Index:
New Release: Terra Incognita
Even though I have recently released an album, it’s important for me to keep working on new music and moving the ideas through. Momentum is our best ally in any practice or mission we embark on.
Terra incognita or terra ignota (Latin "unknown land"; incognita is stressed on its second syllable in Latin, but with variation in pronunciation in English) is a term used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented. The expression is believed to be first seen in Ptolemy's Geography c. 150. The term was reintroduced in the 15th century from the rediscovery of Ptolemy's work during the Age of Discovery.
Thank you for reading and I hope you find a warm, fluffy bagel this Sunday.
Elliott